GW's Valos, Rico Sweep A-10 Weekly Softball Awards

Valos Named Player of the Week; Rico Tabbed Top Pitcher, Rookie

Meghan Rico is the first-ever Colonial to be named both Pitcher and Rookie of the Week in the same week.

April 15, 2013

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - George Washington softball sophomore Victoria Valos was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and freshman Meghan Rico was tabbed Pitcher and Rookie of the Week for games played April 8-14, the league announced on Monday.

Valos, who was also dubbed A-10 Player of the Week by College Sports Madness, batted .500 (5-for-10) and slugged 1.100 with two home runs to lead GW to a perfect 4-0 week. She drove in seven runs and scored six times. In addition, the shortstop walked five times and was hit by a pitch for a .688 on-base percentage.

Valos' best game of the week came in a 7-5 victory over Atlantic 10 rival St. Bonaventure on Saturday, when she went 3-for-4 with two homers, three RBIs and three runs scored. After the Bonnies tied the game in the top of the fifth, Valos led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to regain the lead. Then with the game again tied in the bottom of the seventh, she ripped her second round-tripper of the game, a two-run shot, to provide the walk-off heroics.

The Bakersfield, Calif., native also gave GW an early 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game against St. Bonaventure, then again provided the game-winning RBI when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth to send the Colonials to an 8-0 victory. Valos also walked twice to reach base in all four of her plate appearances in the game.

Valos is batting a team-best .359 and leads GW with 10 home runs, 38 RBIs and 30 runs scored. She ranks second in the A-10 in homers, third in slugging (.738), fourth in runs and fifth in RBIs.

The award is Valos' first career Player of the Week nod. She was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on April 9, 2012. Valos is the first Colonial to be named Player of the Week since Autumn Taylor on April 30, 2012.

Rico was outstanding in the circle for the Colonials last week. In three appearances, including two starts, she went 3-0 with a 0.54 ERA, striking out 18 and allowing just one run on five hits in 13.0 innings, holding opponents to a .116 batting average.

Rico started the week with a complete game win at Mount St. Mary's, when she gave up one run on three hits and struck out eight. The Wrentham, Mass., native tossed a perfect seventh inning in relief to earn the win in the first game against St. Bonaventure on Saturday, then tossed a two-hit shutout - her fourth clean sheet of the season - with nine strikeouts in the nightcap.

Rico is 11-7 on the season with a 2.88 ERA and 104 strikeouts. She ranks second in the A-10 in opponent batting average (.178), third in wins and fifth in strikeouts.

The awards are the first of Rico's career, and she is the first-ever Colonial to be named both Pitcher and Rookie of the Week in the same week. Rico is the second Colonial to earn Rookie of the Week this season, joining Carlee Gray on March 19, and is the first Colonials' player to be dubbed the league's top pitcher since Heidi Penna on April 23, 2012.

Valos, Rico and the Colonials return to action on Friday when they visit Atlantic 10 rival Rhode Island.